Friction-hinge construction.



V. C. LUPPERT FRICTION HINGE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATlON FILED MAR. 10, 1916.

Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

VALENTINE C. LUPPERT, OF WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

FRICTION-HINGE CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

Application filed March 10, 1916. Serial No. 83,368.

full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in friction hinge constructions and more particularly to means for pivotally supporting mirrors between the standards of frames on dressers, chifl'onniers and other articles of furniture,the objects of the invention being to provide a friction hinge construction which may be easily adjusted to offer any desired frictipnal resistance to the turning of the mirror; to so construct the device that the adjusting spindle shall be relieved of the weight of the mirror, and to provide friction hinge devices which shall be adaptable to frames having standards of differ ent widths or thicknesses.

VVit-h these and other objects in View, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View illustrating an application of my improvements; Fig. 2 is a view partly in horizontal section; Fig. 3 is an end View, with the frame 1 omitted; Fig. 4 is an end view of the member which is mounted in the stationary standard; Fig. 5 is a view of the bracket 3, and Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are views illustrating modifications.

1 represents a portion of a mirror frame, and 2 indicates a part of one of the supporting standards.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1, I employ an angle bracket 3, one member, 4 of which is perforated for the accommodation of fastening devices for securing the same to one face of the mirror frame 1, while the other member 5 of said angle bracket enters between the mirror frame and the adjacent supporting standard 2. The member 5 of the angle bracket is formed with flaring flanges 6-7 which cooperate to provide a seat having flaring walls, for a similarly shaped flanged disk or head 7 at one end of a sleeve 8, and said member 5 of the angle bracket is provided with a central hole 9 for the accommodation of the sleeve 8. The sleeve 8 and head 7v are rigidly secured together, said head havmg a hole to receive the sleeve and the latter being provided with a curled or flanged end 10 to engage said head. The sleeve 8 enters a hole 11 in the standard 2, and is capable of limited longitudinal movement therein, but is prevented from turning by means of fins 12 which engage the wall of the hole 11. The free end portion of the sleeve, on which the fins are formed, is somewhat contracted in size and this contracted portion is internally threaded as shown at 13. A spindle 14 is mounted to turn in the hole in the standard 2, and a considerable portion of this spindle is threaded, as shown at 15, said threaded portion passing through the sleeve 8 and engagingthe threads in the contracted end thereof. The free outer end of the spindle is provided with a head or knob 16 having a shoulder 17 which bears against a suitable washer 18 on the outer face of the standard 2.

When the parts are assembled, the mirror will be pivotally supported between the fixed standards, and the frictional resistance to the turning of the mirror may be increased or decreased, as desired, by turning the spindle 14 to cause the flanged disk or head 7 on the sleeve 8 to engage, the flaring or cup-shaped seat in the bracket 3, with more or less pressure. It will also be observed that the weight of mirror is sustained by. the sleeves 8 and hence the adjusting spindles are entirely relieved of all weight and strain. a bearing such as above described, I am enabled to use an adjusting spindle having a long threaded portion, and hence the device is readily adaptable to standards of various widths or thicknesses, without necessity for making spindles of various lengths to accommodate standards of different dimensions.

If desired, the member 5 of the bracket 3 may be made flat, as shown at 5, Fig. 6 and instead of employing a head having flaring flanges as above described, a head 7 having a plain peripheral flange 7", may be secured to the sleeve, so that the free edge of said flange will bear with frictional pressure against the flat member 5 of bracket 3.

Again, by the employment of The head or disk may be omitted from the sleeve 8, and the curled or upset flange 10 on the end of the sleeve utilized to form the head on the sleeve which eflects frictional connection between the sleeve 8 and bracket 3 as shown in Fig. 7 In this form of the invention, the member 5 of the bracket 3 may be provided with a flange 5 to inclose the flanged or headed end of the sleeve.

Instead of employing an angle bracket 3 having a member a to be secured to the outer face of the standard, I may use a bearing bracket 19, such as shown in Fig. 8. This bracket consists merely of a plate to be secured to the edge of the mirror frame, and having an outwardly pressed boss 20 to receive the head or flange on the sleeve, and said boss is slotted as at 21 to accommodate the sleeve 8.

In each of the forms of the invention, the bearing bracket may be slotted to receive the sleeve 8 as shown in Fig. 9 so that the mirror may be readily removed and replaced when desired.

Various changes might be made in the de tails of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof or limiting its scope,

and hence I do not wish to restrict myself to the precise details herein set forth.

Havingfully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. A friction hinge construction comprising a bearing bracket, a bearing sleeve constituting a pivotal support for said bracket, said sleeve having a contracted internally threaded portion near its end farthest removed from the bearing bracket and a friction head at the other end of said sleeve to engage said bracket, and a manually operable spindle passing through the sleeve and having a threaded portion to engage the threaded portion of the sleeve.

2. A friction. hinge construction, comprising a bearing bracket having a-seat having flaring walls, a bearing sleeve constituting a pivotal bearing for said bracket, a disk secured to said sleeve and having a flaring flange to have frictional engagement with the flaring Wall of the seat on said bracket, and means for moving said sleeve longitudinally to regulate the frictional connection between said sleeve and bracket.

3. A friction hinge construction, comprising a bearing bracket, a bearing sleeve constituting a pivotal support for the bracket, a flanged disk secured to said sleeve and having frictional connection with said bracket, and means for adjusting said bearing sleeve longitudinally.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of 'two subscribing witnesses.

VALENTINE C. LUPPERT.

Witnesses:

H. B. CRIST,

WIL IAM P. BEEBER. 

